Standard Chartered Bank hosted a public meeting at its Manama headquarters to celebrate Bahrain Women’s Day. The event featured Mrs. Dalal Al Ghaith, who is currently CEO of the Bahrain Development Bank Group and held a distinguished position at Standard Chartered Bank for an amazing period of 16 years, and Mrs. Shaikha Tarif, who started her career. Insights from the She joined Standard Chartered Bank in 2013 and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Standard Chartered Bank for Bahrain and the Middle East (excluding UAE).
Mrs Dalal Al Ghaith started her career in 2003 as a trainee at Standard Chartered Bank. She earned her promotion by honing her skills through unwavering commitment, her hard work, her dedication and continuously taking on important responsibilities. In particular, she managed various activities of the bank in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 2019, Mrs. Al Ghaith moved to a new professional position at Bahrain Islamic Bank, where she expanded into the realm of Islamic banking. Her journey has progressed and culminated in her current role as CEO of Bahrain Development Bank Group. There, she continues to embrace new responsibilities and rise to new challenges.
Mrs. Al Ghaith emphasized the importance of self-belief for Bahraini women and the importance of recognizing their own abilities and qualifications to accept responsibilities and reach the highest professional positions. She emphasized that it is important to maintain a balance between family and work so that her professional achievements do not come at the expense of family stability. Additionally, she also provided valuable advice and advocated practices such as reading avidly, attending training courses, and strategically investing time in useful and beneficial activities.
Mrs. Sheikha Tarif spoke about the first challenges she faced at the beginning of her career as a banker. These challenges included on-site visits to clients, navigating interactions with individuals and organizations from diverse cultures, and achieving preset goals. She admitted that the support from her parents, especially her father, plays a vital role in giving her the strength to endure hardships and overcome obstacles. She said this support has been the foundation of her professional journey, which has unfolded with unique opportunities and distinct challenges.
Mrs. Tarif highlighted the remarkable achievements of Bahraini women in various fields and levels, particularly their advancement to top leadership positions in the finance and banking sector. She emphasized that Bahraini women not only understand and apply advances in the banking industry, but also take the lead in qualitative areas such as financial technology. They are actively working on leveraging emerging technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence in the field of banking.
Mrs Tariff also expressed pride in Standard Chartered Bank’s commitment to fostering a supportive environment for female employees and implementing progressive initiatives. These initiatives include extending maternity leave for female employees to four full months, providing time off for employee husbands to accompany their wives during maternity periods, and providing support for women in their organizations. This includes launching programs like ‘SC Women in Tech’ to strengthen
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Noura Alnusuf
Head of Corporate Affairs, Branding and Marketing for the Middle East (excluding UAE)
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About Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group. The company has been operating for over 150 years in some of the world’s most dynamic markets, with over 90% of its profits coming from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This geographic focus and commitment to building deep customer relationships have been the driving force behind the bank’s growth in recent years. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges and the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India.